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SCEG 2009 Newsletter Jan 2010 issue
CORRECTION: Please note that in the last paragraph on page 1, the conference on ‘ Coastal Communities at Risk’ was jointly organised and presented by the All Parties Parliamentary Group on Coastal and Marine Issues (APPG) and the Coastal Concern Action Group (CCAG) and not Defra as stated. We apologies for any misunderstanding that this may have caused.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday, January 29th 2010 at 7.30pm in the Village Centre, Station Road, Ormesby St Margaret.
It is hoped that as many residents will attend as possible to let us know your views.
Officials responsible for spending £3m of government money in a bid to tackle a range of coastal challenges in north Norfolk have pledged to make it a priority to talk to individuals and communities about how the money will be spent.
As news of the ‘pathfinder’ grant to North Norfolk District Council continued to sink in yesterday, the reaction of delight turned to questions about how the project would work in practice.
As reported in yesterday’s EDP, the north Norfolk handout was by far the biggest of 15 grants made nationally, with Waveney District Council coming in second with £1.5m and the majority of others below the £1m mark.
Home owners who face losing their East Anglian properties to coastal erosion were offered the hope of receiving proper compensation last night.
The chairman of the Environment Agency has suggested that the government sets up a buy and lease scheme along the region’s coast.
Lord Smith said that authorities such as North Norfolk District Council should be given funding to purchase and then lease back up to 250 homes that are likely to fall into the sea in the next 20 years.
Last night Lord Smith’s high profile comments were described as the biggest step forward in the long running campaign to see homeowners properly compensated for losing their homes.
Scratby Coastal Erosion Group were delighted to meet the Minister of State for Climate Change and the Environment, Huw Irranca-Davies MP, when he visited Scratby on Tuesday April 7th to inspect the potential coastal erosion problems at first hand. Accompanied by MP Tony Wright and officials from DEFRA, the Environment Agency and Norfolk County and Great Yarmouth Borough Councils together with members of Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby Parish Council and members of Scratby, Hemsby and Winterton Coastal Erosion groups he saw the existing rock berm at California and the site of its proposed extension to Newport.
He listened very sympathetically to the points that were put forward and having seen it for himself will be in a better position when discussions arise in the future. Scratby Coastal Erosion Group are hoping to take part in a further project progress meeting with Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Consulting Engineers Halcrow and the Environment Agency at the end of April.
Homeowners threatened with losing their properties to coastal erosion have been given a “groundbreaking” ray of hope of compensation.
A government minister has signalled to Norfolk campaigners that payouts could be on the cards to individuals whose seaside homes are lost through failing and abandoned defences.
The breakthrough has been welcomed by those on the front-line who have been battling for preferably better defences or, if not, social justice for those facing seeing their homes tumbling with the crumbling cliffs.
Communities in danger have already had indications they could get government help under a new “adaptation toolkit” being worked out by officials, though details remain sketchy.
But confirmation that individual homeowners could also get assistance has thrilled campaigners in north Norfolk who have been playing a leading role in a battle that has implications across the nation.
The admission came from Defra minister Huw Irranca-Davies during a meeting of the cross-party group of MPs looking at coastal issues, chaired by north Norfolk Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb.
When quizzed by Coastal Concern Action Group co-ordinator Malcolm Kerby, from Happisburgh, about whether the help would extend to individuals, the minister said “yes.”
Mr Lamb said he was “amazed”, adding: “We don’t know if it is going to be good enough but this is a positive step in an area where Norfolk has led the way.”
His main concern was that any good intent could be hampered by the growing pressure in the economic downturn on public spending.
Mr Kerby, who has been closely involved with a government think tank on helping communities cope with climate change and erosion, said: “The details will not be known until an expected announcement this summer but this is groundbreaking.”
There was “uproar” and public anger when new coastal defence policies were announced in 2005. They aim to abandon some long-standing rural sea defences at popular holiday villages such as Mundesley and Overstrand and only protect a few key spots such as Cromer, Sheringham and the Bacton gas site.
The threat of being left to the mercy of the sea has blighted some communities and Mr Kerby said the prospect of compensation would help lift that cloud.
His action group’s priority remained striving to bolster defences but that was a tightrope – and compensation was the safety net.
The abandonment of defences has caused problems for property owners all along the coast, including Happisburgh resident Jane Archer’s. Her bungalow 60m from the clifftop, bought for £20,000 more than 20 years ago, hit the headlines last year when a valuer priced it at just £1.
She said the prospect of compensation was a “glimmer of hope” but added: “I am not holding my breath until the details became clearer.
“We might only get a certain percentage of the value or it might involve compulsory purchase and lease back. We need to see something in writing before getting too hopeful.”
The news emerged at a weekend discussion on the challenges of coastal living hosted by the Poppyland Partnership at Cromer, where Mr Lamb said the impact of climate change should not be borne by coastal dwellers alone as the issue was global.
He welcomed the positive stance of new US president Barack Obama who was “taking the issue more seriously than his predecessor.”
Mr Lamb was also encouraged by “very good news” of a recent £10m investment by the Environment Agency in beach recharges to bolster the shore between Happisburgh and Winterton.
And this summer a new national co-ordinating group for coastal campaigning groups, including CCAG, is due to be launched at a Westminster conference – giving communities under threat a louder voice.
Brandon LewisAn influential Member of Parliament has taken the time and trouble to visit Scratby to see first hand the potential coastal erosion problems which are forecast by the Government’s controversial draft Shoreline Management Plan.
The Rt. Hon. John Gummer, MP for Suffolk Coastal has a wealth of experience in coastal issues in his own constituency.
He is of the firm opinion that our coastline should be preserved and is hoping to initiate better communications on the matter between all the coastal district and borough councils.
He also says that all the coastal erosion groups presenting a united front to central government could have an influence in changing attitudes to defending our coastline. He feels that it is a matter of vital importance to the whole country and not just coastal dwellers.
He is hoping to arrange a meeting with all interested parties.
Scratby Coastal Erosion Group are behind any initiative which will advance their campaign to defend our coastline.
A Suffolk man fighting to save his home from coastal erosion has accused Natural England of “wasting time and money” in appealing a court ruling.
Peter Boggis, 77, was stopped from defending the area of coast near Easton Bavents after it was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2006.
But last month a High Court judge said Natural England’s decision to allow the cliffs to erode was unlawful.
Now Mr Boggis has criticised Natural England for appealing that ruling.
The retired engineer’s comments came after the government agency, which is responsible for the country’s natural features, announced its intention to take the matter back to the courts.
He said: “Natural England may not think this appeal is a waste of time and money but it most positively is.
“I find the waste of public funds in this matter extremely sad.
“We are fighting for the right of people to protect themselves and their homes.”
He said his home and 13 others nearby were at risk of eventually slipping into the North Sea, with one property currently 26ft (8m) from the cliff edge.
Natural England wanted the cliffs to be allowed to erode so that fossils within them would be exposed.
At the time of the appeal being lodged, Shaun Thomas, regional director of Natural England, said the decision to appeal was made to avoid an “unworkable precedent”.
He said Natural England wanted to work with Mr Boggis to “find a solution”.
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